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Philippines and China spar over Spratleys, again
AFPC China Reform Monitor ^ | 5/3/2011 | Joshua Eisenman, ed.

Posted on 05/03/2011 8:06:30 PM PDT by bruinbirdman

The Philippines has lodged a formal protest at the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf over China's claims to the Spratly islands and adjacent South China Sea waters. The newest controversy in the decades-old multilateral dispute centers on formal notes sent by China to the UN secretary general in 2009 outlining the basis of its claim. China has recently reiterated its exclusive claims to all the disputed areas and their adjacent waters, much of which is actually closer to the Philippines. The Philippines claims more than fifty islands in the Spratly archipelago. Manila’s petition argues for the islands and the water surrounding them, and that China’s claim has no basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Vietnam and Malaysia have also submitted letters to the UN outlining their own rival claims, the Bangkok Post reports.

[Editor’s Note: Patrol boats from China’s navy harassed a Philippine oil exploration vessel in March in disputed waters near the Spratly Islands. In response Manila announced plans to pursue oil exploration in the South China Sea and upgrade a military airfield on Thitu island, the largest of the seven Spratly islands that the Philippines occupies.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; philippines; un
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1 posted on 05/03/2011 8:06:30 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
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To: bruinbirdman

Too bad the Philippines threw Uncle Sam out. There was no problem when the U.S. patrolled and controlled the area.


2 posted on 05/03/2011 8:11:54 PM PDT by BBell
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To: TigersEye

Pei-Ping.


3 posted on 05/03/2011 8:14:44 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: bruinbirdman

China is expansionist, and we have no business conducting business as usual with it.

We are in the process of committing one of the most self-destructive policies the word has ever seen, and we’ve been at it since the early 1990s.


4 posted on 05/03/2011 8:26:56 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Tell me you haven't asked yourself what mistake Obama made, that wound up causing Laden's death?)
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To: DoughtyOne; Jeff Head
"China is expansionist, and we have no business conducting business as usual with it."

ChiComs, Iranians, Palestinians have about two years to finish their business.


Thitu

yitbos

5 posted on 05/03/2011 8:30:45 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." -- Ayn Rand)
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To: bruinbirdman

We’re pretty much on the same page.


6 posted on 05/03/2011 8:33:55 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Tell me you haven't asked yourself what mistake Obama made, that wound up causing Laden's death?)
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To: BBell

“There was no problem when the U.S. patrolled and controlled the area.”
_______________________________________

The Spratleys have always been a hotspot of trouble, even though there is nothing there.
They are claimed by several countries.
Back in the 60s, a ham radio expedition was going to put them on the air for the first time.
It had already been designated as a separate “radio” country
with the call prefix of 1S.

The expedition, mostly Europeans, as I recall, was blown out of the water, killing at least one, and not by the Philippine navy.
I do not recall who was to blame, possibly pirates.


7 posted on 05/03/2011 8:35:23 PM PDT by AlexW (Proud eligibility skeptic)
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To: bruinbirdman

They spar? Right. Not quite a fair fight, is it?

Not even Pacquiao can help.

The Chicoms are marching.


8 posted on 05/03/2011 8:37:42 PM PDT by Avery Iota Kracker (Why get 'er done, when you can get 'er did twyst as fast.)
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To: Avery Iota Kracker; DoughtyOne
The Chicoms are marching.

The VietCong aren't too happy with the ChiComs in this neck of the woods, either.


Mốc chủ quyền Trường Sa - Việt Nam [Vietnam Territory, Truong Sa Arch, Truong Sa - big island ("Sovereignty over the Spratly mold - Vietnam [Vietnam Territory, Arch Truong Sa, Truong Sa - Big Island]")

yitbos

9 posted on 05/03/2011 8:51:16 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." -- Ayn Rand)
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To: AlexW

I guess I should say there was no problem for the Philippines. When we were there we patrolled the area with the Filipinos and no one bothered us. The Filipinos knew we were always at their back as we had some large Military bases there.


10 posted on 05/03/2011 9:21:08 PM PDT by BBell
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To: BBell

There are some noises about some in the Philippines wanting us back at Subic Bay.


11 posted on 05/03/2011 9:31:39 PM PDT by Strategerist (There is only so much stupidity one man can prevent - Andrew Marshall)
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To: Strategerist

I’ve heard that too. The Philippines are a poor countrie and they really can’t protect themselves against the Chi-Coms and enough of the ruling class knows that so they wish for the old days of Uncle Sam’s defensive umbrella.


12 posted on 05/03/2011 9:36:52 PM PDT by BBell
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To: AlexW
They just bought a lot of those penny stocks from those Marcos scams and they are still pissed.
13 posted on 05/03/2011 9:50:44 PM PDT by Domangart
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To: BBell

“When we were there we patrolled the area with the Filipinos and no one bothered us. The Filipinos knew we were always at their back as we had some large Military bases there.”
_______________________________

Well, in the late 70s I have no idea how much US military was left here.
My first hand experience covers only the last three years.

I know it was a large staging area for logistics in the VietNam war, but now all US military presence is gone.
Clark is now an international trade zone, and Mactan air base is now the international airport for Cebu.
I just recall that the Spratleys were much of a no man’s
land back in the 60s, and in the last few years I remember reading in the paper about some troubles there.


14 posted on 05/03/2011 10:40:25 PM PDT by AlexW (Proud eligibility skeptic)
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To: Strategerist
Yes and many there cant admit it

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

15 posted on 05/03/2011 11:33:38 PM PDT by expatguy (Donations Keep The Expat Fueled !)
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To: bruinbirdman

‘The Philippines has lodged a formal protest at the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf over China’s claims to the Spratly islands and adjacent South China Sea waters.’

Inasmuch as the United Nations is a wholly owned subsidiary of PRC, Inc., it’s not expected this will do much good.


16 posted on 05/04/2011 12:30:29 AM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: Jack Hammer
"it’s not expected this will do much good."

If one looks at the Spratley occupiers, Philippines and VietCong have the land. ChiComs have reefs that are dry at low tide. They have spent a lot of yawns building on the worst turf.


中国南沙群岛-西礁[China-Spratly Islands(South China Sea Islands)-Xi Jiao]

yitbos

17 posted on 05/04/2011 1:04:37 AM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." -- Ayn Rand)
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To: bruinbirdman

it’s not just the Philippines, but Viet Nam...and in 1990, Viet Nam actually won a war against the ChiComs.

Now that Obama is making America weak, China is starting to push people around again over here...they thought their bribes to Gloria would mean we wouldn’t protest, but her opponent won the election last year, and he hasn’t been bought yet.


18 posted on 05/04/2011 1:29:27 AM PDT by LadyDoc (liberals only love politically correct poor people)
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To: Army Air Corps

The dirty dogs. They’ll take anything that isn’t nailed down and stuff that is if they think they can.


19 posted on 05/04/2011 1:56:37 AM PDT by TigersEye (Who crashed the markets on 9/15/08 and why?)
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To: bruinbirdman

I remember reading a few years back, that there were at least three nations making claims regarding the Spratleys. China wants to develop a choke point for access to the Indian Ocean from the Pacific, or at least make it more difficult to gain access from this region.

China put a military base on one of the islands around 2000, give or take a couple of years.


20 posted on 05/04/2011 2:12:56 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (Tell me you haven't asked yourself what mistake Obama made, that wound up causing Laden's death?)
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